Needing a big weekend in Vegas to stay in the NHRA nitro Funny Car world championship mix, Robert Hight hit the jackpot sweeping all 130 points available.

The veteran John Force Racing driver qualified No. 1 -- but not without some controversy – and then turned on four win lights at the Nevada Nationals on Sunday at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Hight clocked a 3.851-second elapsed time at 326.79 mph in the final round to defeat Bob Tasca III, who slowed to 4.235-second, 268.28 mph. This is Hight’s 65th career NHRA nitro FC win and his fourth this season.
  
Hight is a three-time world champ – 2009, 2017 and 2019 – and would love to add No. 4 at the season-ending race in Pomona, Calif., on Nov. 9-12. Hight will head to Pomona third in the points standings 17 behind leader Matt Hagan. Tasca is second 15 points out of the lead.

“It's really been a strong weekend at the races. I'd like to know if anybody, especially in a Countdown race, has ever in Funny Car swept every single point possible, and that just goes to my team,” Hight said. “They gave me a race car that was perfect this weekend, and we had good conditions, but 3.88 was our worst run. And then ... the 3.81, which we weren't trying to do that, everything just happened and worked perfectly, which kind of scared me because I'm thinking if we weren't trying to do that, that's stuff that's been biting us, like a first round at Dallas, against (Terry) Haddock, smoking the tires and you think, well, you had to have been really close to smoking the tires to run 3.81. But Jimmy (Prock) and (Jimmy’s son) Thomas got it in check, and we just did our job all day.

“I heard it was 17 points for the top three in Funny Car. If that isn't going to make an exciting Pomona, I don't know what is.”

On Sunday, Hight disposed of Jeff Diehl, Alexis DeJoria, Blake Alexander, and then Tasca.

“I feel really good. We just got to stay steady and stay focused. Nothing we can do about the conditions, what they're going to be at Pomona, but I'm going to pray every night that they're great, fast conditions, like we had this weekend, and whatever it is, it is,” Hight said. “I feel that my team's got a good handle on this race car, and we just got to go get it done. Two tough competitors, it's not going to be easy. And I guess (Ron) Capps is still mathematically in it, but the three of us, we're going to be duking it out, and my boss (John Force), he's going to test (Monday). Hopefully he gets his hot rod running better and he can help me out a little bit and put some pressure on these guys.”

Hight acknowledged nothing came easy for him on race day.

“You saw a lot of cars, first round, blowing up. There were a lot of explosions,” Hight said. “That tells you that the air got really, really good. And when you're in Vegas and you've got 14 water grains, it's really good air, and it's 60 degrees. It's very cool, and some guys missed it. Luckily, my guys did a really good job of having a handle on the tune-up, and these cool conditions make great runs and great racing for the fans.”

Hight said he wouldn’t mind joining his boss on Monday to make some laps at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

“Coming in here, we talked. We were probably going to test, but I don't know where they're at on that now,” Hight said. “It wouldn't hurt my feelings to go out there (Monday) and make a couple runs, maybe try some stuff. I don't know, but it's not going to hurt my feelings to make a couple runs and just better prepare ourselves.”

Being in a tightly contested points race for a world championship is something Hight welcomes.

“Well, I'd rather be in Gaige Herrera's spot. If I had to trade, that's what I'd do,” said Hight about Herrera who is control of the Pro Stock Motorcycle class. "But no, we're here, and we got to make the best of it. We've got to perform, and those guys, they're going to be right there. More than likely it's going to go down to the final round at Pomona to win a championship, and it doesn't get more dramatic than that, just like Tony Schumacher did with Doug Kalitta years ago.

“And to look back on it and if you get the job done, boy, there's not going to be anything more rewarding than that.”

Hight said his history doesn’t benefit his 2023 season, so he’s not about to look in the rear-view mirror.

“You have to focus on the task at hand. What's behind us is behind us,” Hight said. “You might use it as a little motivation, but we've got our hands full here. And when it's 17 points and points and a half, every point, four points every run in qualifying. ... OK, so if I did in Pomona what I did here, I'm one point back going into Sunday, potentially. So, it's every run, the magnitude of importance is, it's going to be crazy. Like I said at the other end, I'd rather it be next weekend than a weekend off. I don't want to really think about it for 10 days.”

Hight said he has developed a rivalry with Tasca’s team. He actually moved up to the No. 1 qualifying spot in Vegas late Saturday night when Tasca’s No. 1 qualifying run in Q4 was disqualified.

“It's a team you want to beat. Some guys you just want to beat more than others, and you try a little extra harder and push a little harder,” Hight said. “And I think that goes for my crew chiefs and myself, but that's a great running car. He's driving good. We got our hands full. We've got to do it one more weekend.”